@ FuglsangxTH3: Don't worry. I'll keep on trying to improve the team but I'll make sure that it'll never be an "allstar team" that has no real opponents.
The stage is a bit harder than the last one as the hill is steeper and closer to the finish. Still, we won't necessarily see a large seperation.
Dominik's Pre-Race Comment
Tom is in great shape so he won't have to be my domestique today. Personally I hope to surrvive the last ascent well. For the team, we will again try to send someone in the break and defend Paolo's leader jersey. He should be able to get over the hill, hopefully the other riders will keep calm.
Live Ticker
Km 3:
The first attack is launched by Vladislav Borisov (Amore).
.
Km 6:
Just like last stage, Matthew Busche tries his luck.
.
Km 15:
Busche and his fellow escapee are only little in front of the pack, which chases fast.
.
Km 22:
Consequentally, they didn't make it.
.
Km 31:
11 men inlcuding Juraj Sagan are in front now. It looks like we have a BOTD now.
.
Km 57:
As several more riders make it to the front, the group becomes to large for the peloton, which starts to bring them back.
.
Km 85:
Shortly after the break was caught, Uros Murn (Adria Mobil) managed to slip away and leads now alone.
.
Km 147:
On the second intermediate sprint, with about 40 kms to go, Uros Murn has still four minutes of advance left.
.
Km 163:
Entering the climb, Murn is three minutes away. Longo Borghini's leader jersey might be in danger.
.
Km 165:
Right under the 20 kms banner, overall top favorite Robert Kiserlovski makes his move!
.
Km 166:
While Juraj Sagan does a hell of a job controlling Kiserlovski's followers, Dominik doesn't look too good at the middle of the peloton. Peterson is a bit better positioned.
.
Km 168:
The peloton starts to break into pieces. While some of the favorites could get away, Sagan, Peterson and Busche are in the first of the bigger groups along with the likes of Di Luca or Vlad Efimkin. Longo Borghini and Dominik Nerz are a bit further behind in the biggest group. Liquigas will lose the leader's jersey today.
.
Km 173:
Close to the mountain sprint, Kiserlovski catches up with Uros Murn. 45 seconds behind them are Alex Efimkin, Domenico Pozzovivo and Gabriel Bosisio.
.
Km 175:
Dominik falls further and further behind. He crosses the top along with Davide Cimolai more than four minutes behind Kiserlovski.
.
Km 181:
Kiserlovski enters the last 4 kms with only a small advance to his chasers. Will he make it?
.
Km 185:
Yes! Alexander Efimkin only sprints to second place.
.
Km 185:
Liquigas finishes a disappointing day with Juraj Sagan on 15 as their best. Thomas Peterson, now their clear leader, finishes in that same group 2'26 behind today's winner. A Top 10 ranking is still in reach for him. Dominik Nerz eventually finishes 62th, almost four minutes behind Kiserlovski. If there were any doubts about his shape before today, they're gone now...
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
4h22'00
2
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
+ 20
3
Gabriele Bosisio
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
4
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
5
Uros Murn
Adria Mobil
s.t.
6
Ghader Mizbani
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 58
7
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
+ 1'33
8
Jaume Rovira
TV3 - Caixa Catalunya
s.t.
9
Jure Kocjan
Team Type 1
+ 2'26
10
Vladimir Karpets
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
s.t.
...
22
Thomas Peterson
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
...
62
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 3'55
Classifications
Overall
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
8h34'20
2
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
+ 28
3
Gabriele Bosisio
Acqua & Sapone
+ 32
4
Uros Murn
Adria Mobil
+ 34
5
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
+ 40
6
Ghader Mizbani
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 1'18
7
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 1'52
8
Jaume Rovira
TV3 - Caixa Catalunya
+ 1'53
9
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
10
Juraj Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 2'40
...
15
Thomas Peterson
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 2'46
...
51
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 4'15
Points
1
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
31
2
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
28
3
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
25
4
Jure Kocjan
Team Type 1
21
5
Stanislav Kozúbek
PSK Whirlpool - Author
20
Mountain
1
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
10
2
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
10
3
Bernardo Colex
Amore & Vita
8
4
Uros Murn
Adria Mobil
8
5
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
6
Young Riders
1
Juraj Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
8h37'00
2
Claudio Veronese
Katusha Team
+ 53
3
Marko Kump
Geox - TMC
+ 57
4
Egor Silin
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 57
5
Marco Haller
Adria Mobil
+ 1'27
...
7
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 1'35
Teams
Dominik's Comment
Geez. That was harsh. I knew I wouldn't fight for the win here, but that... At least we now know for sure who'll be our leader tomorrow. Hopefully, we can bring Thomas into the Top 10, I'll give my best to support him.
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, guys, but obviously the fitness factor strikes harder than I expected. I'll just have to forget about this – and until then, of course, give my best for Tom. On a side note, I still have good chances for the young riders classification, though.
Here we are at the queen stage of the race. The last climb is not too steep but rather long. In any case, the overall will be decided today. With his recent performance, Robert Kiserlovski left no doubt of his good shape and high ambitions. If nothing totally unexpected happens, the only one who could challenge him is Domenico Pozzovivo.
Dominik's Pre-Race Comment
We'll give everything for Thomas today. But as I'm the only capable climber on his side, and considering my shape, I fear it won't be much. Nevertheless, we hope that he'll be able to enter the overall Top 10. Apart from that, I should be able to fight for the white jersey. My only real opponent there is Egor Silin, 40 seconds in front of me, and usually no threat on a stage like this. But you know, my shape...
Live Ticker
Km 7:
Among the first attackers is Egor Silin (Tabriz), one of the white jersey contenders. Surprising move as no one expects the break to survive the day...
.
Km 18:
No chance for them though, as Liquigas doesn't want to leave the battle for the white jersey to chance.
.
Km 22:
Silin tries it again and he and his companions see themselves battling Juraj Sagan and Paolo Longo Borghini, who don't want to let them go.
.
Km 43:
No further attempt was made to get away so far. Most teams seem to concentrate on the final ascent.
.
Km 68:
Close to the top of today's biggest uncategorized climb, Katusha's Daniel Moreno attacks and gets away. Already more than three minutes back in the GC, he might be a possible threat regarding the stage win.
.
Km 100:
Astana is slowly pacing, but Moreno's advance keeps growing. Halfway up the first mountain sprint, he's 4'40 in front.
.
Km 119:
The chase becomes more intense. Over the second mountain sprint, Moreno's lead shrinked down to three and a half minutes.
.
Km 137:
Colnago joined Astana at the front and Moreno's advance is down to two minutes. When the favorites make their moves, he won't stand a chance.
.
Km 144:
Now already? On the first steep meters, Domenico Pozzovivo puts everything he has into this acceleration!
.
Km 146:
Approaching the last 10 kms, Pozzovivo joined Moreno, but it's Robert Kiserlovski himself who leads the chase.
.
Km 149:
Moreno is back in the only 60 men large peloton. Pozzovivo is still 30 seconds in front. Peterson and Nerz are well-placed close to the front but Nerz starts to look tired.
.
Km 150:
GC's second Alexander Efimkin (Type 1) attacks! He's only 28 seconds behind Kiserlovski, who remains at a steady, high pace.
.
Km 151:
Nerz starts to lose contact to Peterson, who still looks decently fresh.
.
Km 153:
Efimkin, Kiserlovski and Peterson reconnect with Pozzovivo in the front. Two more riders are with them, half a minute in front of the pack.
.
Km 154:
Three kilometers to go and Pozzovivo goes again. Kiserlovski and Ghader Mizbani (Tabriz, GC's sixth) follow, Peterson remains calm. Or is he just empty?
.
Km 157:
Eventually, Kiserlovski closely overtakes Pozzovivo in the final sprint. Mizbani surprises with his strong third place just before Alex Efimkin, who also countered the attack.
.
Km 157:
In the sprint of the chasers, Peterson scores a strong sixth place just behind Di Luca. This moves him up to eigth in the overall. Mission accomplished.
.
Km 157:
Dominik Nerz spent the day working for his captain and finishes 33rd, at the end of today's biggest group and about two minutes behind the winner. Fortunately, that's enough to take the young riders jersey! Congratulations for that!
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
4h26'54
2
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
3
Ghader Mizbani
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 33
4
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
+ 41
5
Danilo Di Luca
Lampre - ISD
+ 53
6
Thomas Peterson
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
7
Gabriele Bosisio
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
8
Jaume Rovira
TV3 - Caixa Catalunya
s.t.
9
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
10
Vladimir Efimkin
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
...
33
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 1'44
Classifications
Overall
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
13h00'54
2
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
+ 48
3
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
+ 1'29
4
Gabriele Bosisio
Acqua & Sapone
+ 1'45
5
Ghader Mizbani
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 2'03
6
Jaume Rovira
TV3 - Caixa Catalunya
+ 3'06
7
Simon Spilak
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
8
Thomas Peterson
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 3'59
9
Danilo Di Luca
Lampre - ISD
s.t.
10
Vladimir Efimkin
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
...
29
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 6'19
Points
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
50
2
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
42
3
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
34
4
Paolo Longo Borghini
Liquigas - Cannondale
33
5
Gabriele Bosisio
Acqua & Sapone
27
Mountain
1
Robert Kiserlovski
Pro Team Astana
26
2
Daniel Moreno
Katusha Team
20
3
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
18
4
Leonardo Piepoli
Team Pisanellastoria
16
5
Alexander Efimkin
Team Type 1
12
Young Riders
1
Dominik Nerz
Liquigas - Cannondale
13h07'13
2
Egor Silin
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 1'19
3
Juraj Sagan
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 2'53
4
Marko Kump
Geox - TMC
+ 3'50
5
David De la Cruz
TV3 - Caixa Catalunya
+ 4'18
Teams
1
Colnago - CSF Inox
39h13'22
2
Tabriz Petrochemical Team
+ 1'01
3
Lampre - ISD
+ 2'06
4
Acqua & Sapone
+ 2'35
5
Liquigas - Cannondale
+ 3'43
Dominik's Comment
Ah, fantastic! After yesterday's disappointment, this was really great! First of all, Thomas did very, very well and scored the Top 10 we hoped for. And then, of course, I could enjoy some moments on podium after the stage again, as I achieved the young riders jersey! At least that is something! Second year in a row here in Slovenia now.
No matter how the last stage will end, this race can be considered as a success now. That takes the pressure from us and we can calmly look what's possible tomorrow.
Well, finally on holidays, can comment more frequently in this awesome story... You've been having great results lately, and Dominik's young rider jersey, after nearly 4 months of no competition, shows the great talent of this kid. Which will have to be respected in a very near future.
@ all: Thanks once again for the nice and frequent comments As you said, the results come in very nicely, and on extreme I can be very happy with a Top 10 in such a field. And white, of course.
@ Alakagom: A simple thanks isn't enough to answer such a comment, I think Makes me a bit speechless, too. I can just say that comments like yours are a fantastic reward for the hours I spent making this story and it's really nice knowing people like what comes out at the end By the way, you read quite quick catching up on all those stories on basically one day, don't you? ^^
@ FreitasPCM: First of all congrats for having holidays Nice to see you back! Dominik indeed has the potential to play a very big role in cycling business in the coming years, hopefully I'll have the perseverance to keep this story going long enough.
Love you signature, by the way
Alright, last stage of Slovenia is coming up tomorrow, probably as well as a review of the Tour de Suisse. G'Night guys
The last stage is the easiest one. Pretty flat with almost no real ascents, it's made for a bunch sprint. Or will a break make it again?
Dominik's Pre-Race Comment
In Davide Cimolai, we have the top favorite for a possible mass sprint. But as we neither have a real lead out nor are keen on doing the work in the pack, we'll also try to send someone to the break again. Either way, we hope to end the race on a high note.
Live Ticker
Km 1:
The attacks start from scratch, the Team Tabriz show themselves very active.
.
Km 11:
Many riders are still fighting for their spot in the break of the day, among them is Paolo Longo Borghini, winner of stage 1.
.
Km 37:
And he made it again: Along with Josep Jufre (TV3), Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre) and six others, Longo Borghini is in the break of the day, three minutes in front of the pack. Liquigas now has all tactical options.
.
Km 44:
Longo Borghini takes the first intermediate sprint. If the break succeeds, he has great chances for the points classification.
.
Km 60:
As the advance grows to six minutes, three more riders make the jump to the front. 12 riders are in the lead now.
.
Km 90:
100 kms to go and Geox ups the pace in the peloton. 8'30 for the break.
.
Km 155:
Second intermediate, again won by Longo Borghini. 35 kms to go and a bit more than three minutes of advance.
.
Km 179:
Although the pack is already in sight, the escapees still have a chance! They deliver a terrific fight and keep their advance over a minute!
.
Km 183:
Geox can't do more, they fall back from the front of the pack. Now the advance even starts to grow again! We will see another breakaway win today.
.
Km 185:
As he's not the best sprinter, Longo Borghini tries to get away from his companions with 5 kms to go!
.
Km 188:
He opened a small gap but the others are chasing quickly. He won't make it.
.
Km 190:
Indeed. Gianluca Mirenda (Farnese Vini) wins the sprint for the win. Longo Borghini is overtaken by every escapee and finishes 13th.
.
Km 190:
As Danilo Di Luca finishes in front of Thomas Peterson today, the US American loses one place in the GC. Dominik Nerz remains in white.
So. That was Slovenia 2012. Not as successful as last year but that was clear from the beginning. But if we lower our ambitions a bit, we can be satisfied.
Nineth and eleventh in the GC is decently good considering our possibilities and the starting field. For me personally, the repeat of my success in the young riders classification is great. But maybe the most important result for us here was Paolo's stage win. It's great to see such a experienced rider achieving another win on his old days!
Coming up next for me are the National Championships.
Ah, the usual problem: when you attack out of a BOTD a few kilometres before the finish (on a flat road) you get overtaken in the sprint by every one of the BOTD, finishing in last place. When an AI-rider does, he is capable to get a good position. So too bad, but good Top 10 with Peterson and Dominik in the U25-ranking.
Speechless at times. Quality. Quality. And once again quality 
Makes me a bit speechless, too. I can just say that comments like yours are a fantastic reward for the hours I spent making this story and it's really nice knowing people like what comes out at the end 
